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Help a noob out, no land broadband available, mobile only solution

sendhelp

Regular Member
Hello there,

Moving to a new apartment in a couple of days, where regular land broadband isn't available, not even DSL.

I'm now looking at mobile broadband. I'm currently with 3 on my phone (unlimited data) and I've got no signal inside the flat so I'm looking at other options.

Tested a gigacube from Vodafone (Huawei) from a friend and the best I can get is 40-60Mbps UL and 2-8Mbps DL which is low but to be fair, I'm fine with it as long as it's constant and stable. Ping looks stable at 20-30ms.

My post code is PO4 0RW if it helps you guys helping me.

It looks like to me the best options would be EE or Vodafone but my friend who lives a couple of flats next to mine says EE didn't work for them so they went with Vodafone. They get 5G because they are on a top floor flat and they get 100-200Mbps, I get 5G as well but speeds are as reported above at 60Mbps highest.

I play games on my PS5 but nothing too demanding in terms of network and also stream netflix, youtube, etc but nothing crazy.

I'm not looking for crazy speeds but basically I want to make sure I'm making the right decision by going with Vodafone. Also, do you think it's worth it to spend on a 5G router given my circumstances or would you think buying a better 4G router would be the best action?

I'm looking into buying a 5G Router and an Unlimited Plan from Vodafone/Similar network.

Looking for expert advice from you guys who on what to decide in terms of network, router and which contract to pick (Unlimited data).

TIA
 
No DSL? Assume history here and with both VM and City FTTP even more frustrating.

All providers claim to cover your area with 4G (indoor and outdoor)
Only Vodafone offer 5G currently (EE is patchy)
As you live in a flat it will depend on its position and the direction to the mast

The only way to verify therefore is with test SIMs or wait to get some friends around and get them to use a basic app to show signal strength/quality. If on the water side you may get a better signal from elsewhere or deflected off other buildings.

Vodafone and EE can be expensive. A cheaper option would be to look at one of the MVNO's using their network and lowing any expectations for now to 4G+ Cat7 capability or above. 5G routers (with good LTE performance) will come down in price this year and mobile coverage continues to change. If you want to explore this option search the forum for Router recommendations.
 
Hello there,

Moving to a new apartment in a couple of days, where regular land broadband isn't available, not even DSL.

I'm now looking at mobile broadband. I'm currently with 3 on my phone (unlimited data) and I've got no signal inside the flat so I'm looking at other options.

Tested a gigacube from Vodafone (Huawei) from a friend and the best I can get is 40-60Mbps UL and 2-8Mbps DL which is low but to be fair, I'm fine with it as long as it's constant and stable. Ping looks stable at 20-30ms.

My post code is PO4 0RW if it helps you guys helping me.

It looks like to me the best options would be EE or Vodafone but my friend who lives a couple of flats next to mine says EE didn't work for them so they went with Vodafone. They get 5G because they are on a top floor flat and they get 100-200Mbps, I get 5G as well but speeds are as reported above at 60Mbps highest.

I play games on my PS5 but nothing too demanding in terms of network and also stream netflix, youtube, etc but nothing crazy.

I'm not looking for crazy speeds but basically I want to make sure I'm making the right decision by going with Vodafone. Also, do you think it's worth it to spend on a 5G router given my circumstances or would you think buying a better 4G router would be the best action?

I'm looking into buying a 5G Router and an Unlimited Plan from Vodafone/Similar network.

Looking for expert advice from you guys who on what to decide in terms of network, router and which contract to pick (Unlimited data).

TIA
You can get an unlimited data sim from Lebara (they use vf), rather than get into a costly contract.
If you get this promotion (below) you'll only pay 9.99 first 3 months.
I'd get a 5G router tbh, while you're at it. If you have a balcony or something I recommend you get an outdoor one, such as this one :


 
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I live within 200 yards of an apartment block with all four providers.

I bought cards from

1p EE £10
Voxi Vod £10
giffgaff o2 £10
Smarty Three £16

I tried all four in a borrowed 5g phone and that indicated which network worked best in a convenient place I could locate a router.

The wizards around here will guide you to the best value router for your needs. If you want to suck the full value from your £46 worth of sim cards you can drain them of all the data allowance -whilst you are deciding on the real deal for your network of choice.

Tony
 
I live in a flat facing the sea. I played around with the Vodafone router and the best location was actually further inside the house, on top of a kitchen cabinet.

I’ve got a Portuguese Vodafone sim which I used to check for 5G coverage and it’s on my second phone a Samsung s21 ultra. I’ll use that to scan the flat for signal strength to see where is best to put the router on.

I’m just not sure what to look for in terms of knowing what is good and what isn’t. Also in terms of routers the 5G router I’m most inclined about is the cpe pro 2 because it’s relatively cheap at £300 on Amazon but I’m not keen on not having external antenas.

External routers are a no go due to my landlord and also because my property is straight up on top of the main building entrance and I would have nowhere to hide it and to pass cables inside.

Where I am atm I’ve been using dsl from Vodafone and I was more than happy with the performance at 70/20 DL UL. Very stable and enough for my needs but this building has nothing. When I scan for Wi-Fi I get 2 routers from Three and 1 from Huawei so no one actually has broadband 😂

Trying to move this week and can’t see myself getting everything fixed until then.
 
Assume you have had no discussion with the landlord/management committee? A shame if blighted. TBB looks as though service is provided by VM and Cityfibre. Perhaps ground floor.

This graphic is often referenced:

dTVpHyrhVFmMMC0eLyz76XKGHrogfH_05rTYXSa1QLXVHwR7URdLL-Bt2uMOVcptyBl2ZNZFZl-OUwJc4gFWF-zmgT_jz5xzj6CWOV2Dlzt7KeeaAWW8ukxjmm4p1JS6vF-IAEwU


Look for this for 4G LTE and the 5G NSA signal. I use NetMonster (simpler for me). Even if you get a good NSA signal it may kick you back to 4G if the quality isn't there. Anything worse than -110 dbm the B threshold will likely disconnect NSA.

The nearest masts (all providers) appears to be NW on the corner of Clarendon Gardens. So some way away.

Lucian advises a 5G Router. Even if you find the 5G isn't good these will have good LTE Advanced capabilities until 5G arrives on other frequencies/providers. My experience with a NR5103E is that they are far more sensitive now.

Always worth also trying a signal from across the Solent, which may be weaker but provide moderate LTE for now (subject to weather).
 
I live in a flat facing the sea. I played around with the Vodafone router and the best location was actually further inside the house, on top of a kitchen cabinet.

I’ve got a Portuguese Vodafone sim which I used to check for 5G coverage and it’s on my second phone a Samsung s21 ultra. I’ll use that to scan the flat for signal strength to see where is best to put the router on.

I’m just not sure what to look for in terms of knowing what is good and what isn’t. Also in terms of routers the 5G router I’m most inclined about is the cpe pro 2 because it’s relatively cheap at £300 on Amazon but I’m not keen on not having external antenas.

External routers are a no go due to my landlord and also because my property is straight up on top of the main building entrance and I would have nowhere to hide it and to pass cables inside.

Where I am atm I’ve been using dsl from Vodafone and I was more than happy with the performance at 70/20 DL UL. Very stable and enough for my needs but this building has nothing. When I scan for Wi-Fi I get 2 routers from Three and 1 from Huawei so no one actually has broadband 😂

Trying to move this week and can’t see myself getting everything fixed until then.
You could try to fix it on the outside of the window using suckers. It comes with a flat cable so you can close the window over it.

In the end get what works for you, consider phones as well. My backup is a £100 Pixel 4a 5G with tethering and it works great.
 
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Some interesting sugestions here.

I might go with Lebara as far as broadband goes, do they use the same APN and stuff as Vodafone for mobile data? Is there any difference at all? The unlimited plan is cheaper per month (£22.5 vs £33) so if they use exactly the same infraestructure it's a no brainer for me.

Regarding DLS, I've spoken to the landlord team, they are very technophoby and haven't come back to me yet. As far as I can see I've got no phone line running through the flat so no chance.

I've done a check on most providers and no one offers anything here.

I might just order the Lebara SIM, on a 1 month "contract" and test. I will also buy a 5G Router, probably the Huawei CPE Pro 2 unless you guys have got better suggestions. I'm willing to go £400, maybe a little bit more if it justifies it but that's it.

As far as mounting stuff outside, my partner isn't very keen on it, I mean she's already mad I want to get something with antenas ahahah!. Also when testing with the phone, it felt like it was actually worse.

Thanks all so far.
 
  • Name: Lebara Internet
  • APN: uk.lebara.mobi
  • Username: wap
  • Password: wap
That's the Lebara apn details I have in my router sendhelp. :)
 
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Thank you!

Just ordered a Lebara sim £25 unlimited for a month. Gonna test and see where this takes me.
You're welcome and best of luck, hope you have good results. 🤞
 
CP2 Pro ordered from Amazon. SIM and Router should be here by Thursday latest. I've got some days to test the router, if it's bad I'll return and buy an external one or potentially one with Antena connections to have them outside.

We will see.
 
Just got the router, waiting for the SIM. Saw a bunch of talk elsewhere about powersupplies and how they cap the router's performance. This router is 2A rated at 24W, is this enough to power this?
 
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Just got the router, waiting for the SIM. Saw a bunch of talk elsewhere about powersupplies and how they cap the router's performance. This router is 2A rated at 24W, is this enough to power this?
All four of my power supplies are 4A, but it's said that 2A will do just fine, I'm sure you'll be ok sendhelp.
 
Nevermind, all good on the phone. Just need to do it on the router.
Sometimes the router doesn't get the APN quite right sendhelp, you might have to manually enter it, but most of the time it does.

Best of luck.

Let us know how you get on and if you need directions to the APN settings.:)
 
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